The trouble with True Love at first sight
by Gravity In the Air
Summary: This is a cheese fic my beta, Artistia, requested. WickedSwan. Kinda AU


Emma took a deep breath and looked over at her son, her mind racing with all the memories Regina had given her about raising Henry, about fairytales and curses, of monsters and princesses, how wrong Disney had gotten it. The only thing stopping her from being completely selfish and not returning to Storybrooke was Regina. She'd promised once to never take Henry from her. If there was a chance the town was back, the guilt at not crossing the ugly orange line would eat her alive.

"Mom?" Henry's face scrunched in confusion and a hint of annoyance. "Do you not want to go back? You're the savior, and my mom... well my other mom, you have parents now, and-"

SIghing, Emma shook her head. "I know, Hen, I know. I just need a minute before I go from normal life into all this shit again battling monsters and magic and everyone demanding something from me all the time." She could see Henry didn't understand why she wouldn't want to be in Storybrooke. Kid was made for fairytale spoiled prince life, but she wasn't him.

The first thing Henry did when they reached Main Street is get out of the bug, long before it came to a complete stop, his blonde mother screaming at him in her haste to put the car in park. Racing down the street, he launched himself at the person he hadn't known he missed until the memory potion. "Mom!"

"Henry!" Surprised, Regina gasped and spun just in time to catch the full weight of her son, thanking the fates that be for not toppling over onto the hard cement. "How, when did you get here?" She looked up from the Henry's unruly mop top to see Emma cursing as she finally got out of her car parked askew in the space in front of Granny's.

"Just now. It was crazy. A pirate broke down our apartment door and made mom drink this ghastly glowing blue drink and then she remembered and made me drink it too. Mom's boyfriend turned into a flying monkey and fell off the top of the building, and now we're here!" Henry rushed to explain as he held his mother close.

Emma hurriedly rushed to meet up with Regina and Henry. "Kid, don't ever get out of a moving car again! You could have seriously gotten hurt!" Blushing a bit, she offered Regina a sheepish smile at the woman's raised brow. "Hey."

Regina nodded her acknowledgement. "Miss Swan." She looked down at Henry still in her arms, delighted he'd missed her so much. "I'd love to sit and learn all about your time in New York, but we have a new villain to deal with."

"Seriously?" Emma groaned, but honestly she hadn't expected any less. Hoped, yes, but expected, no.

"Mom almost didn't cross the town line because our life in New York was good, quiet, but I know there's no way she'd give up her parents, you. I'm positive sometimes Mom even likes the town." Henry winced at the hurt crossing his brunette mother's face at him calling Emma mom. "Sorry, it's what I called her."

"It's alright, dear. I'm just glad you're home." Regina glanced at Emma again to notice that the woman was finding the sidewalk most enrapturing. "Miss Swan, Emma, I can only imagine how disruptive another villain is, but… did you say flying monkey?"

Emma's head snapped up at that, wincing fully. "Yeah. Why?"

"Come, we have much to discuss." Regina poofed them to the mansion, sending Henry upstairs to change his clothes, the large mustard stain on his navy sweater standing out starkly.

"Please tell me you have some cider if I have to deal with another villain." Emma made for the study only to have Regina on her heels.

The mayor reached out and grabbed a pale wrist, redirecting the woman into a nearby armchair. "After we win. I already know who we're dealing with, just not what their goal is."

Dark blonde brows scrunched in confusion, looking much like Henry not ten minutes ago. "You know who it is?" Emma studied the guilty expression on the brunette's face. "You know them personally."

"Yes and no." Regina held up a hand before Emma could launch into further questions. "I learned when we were sent back to the Enchanted Forest that my mother had a child before me that she abandoned." Emma didn't react so she continued. "I have a half sister."

"Of course you do." Emma sighed, raking fingers through her hair. "What's fairytale people without more crawling out from the woodworks? So you've an older sister who is evil. Why is she coming after Storybrooke?"

Regina glanced around, not ready to be labeled as evil again when she'd just gotten a tentative ground to prove revenge was no longer her goal. "Me, apparently she hates me. Someone I've never even met, and given my history with these people…" A tanned wrist flourished through the air.

Emma could only nod, understanding fully now. "You're worried the townspeople will throw you to the wolves because no one knows how to actually forgive here." Sighing, she stood up and began to pace. "Well, what do you know about her? What's the gameplan?"

"What?" Regina was expecting Emma to join the masses, throw her to the wolves, tell the townspeople to let them decide, anything but join her, but she should know by now that Emma is a lot smarter than the rest of the peasants despite how she acts sometimes. "Um, her name is Zelena. She's from Oz."

"Oz?" Blue eyes widened in shock as Emma pieced the puzzle together. Flying monkey. Villain. Oz. "Shit! Your sister is the Wicked Witch." Giving a humorless laugh, she eyed Regina. "Dorothy defeated her by dumping a bucket of water on her. Do you know anything about her, if there's a chance for her to be good?"

The mayor fidgeted, actually fidgeted before glancing up at Emma with the most vulnerable look the blonde had ever witnessed. "I want a chance to get to know my sister. I didn't know before, but she's the only family I have besides Henry."

Emma shook her head, pulling Regina in for a hug despite how stiff the mayor had gone. "That's not true. You have me, and my parents if you wish. I know we have an odd coexistence, but I'd like to think by now we're friends. You wouldn't have given me your memories of raising Hen if we weren't. You can say it was for Henry, but we both know it was more than that. If you want us to give your sister a chance we can, but you have more than just Henry."

 **WSWSWS**

A few hours later, the town had one common goal, capturing, not killing, the witch, and offering her a chance here like they'd all gotten a second, even third or fourth chances. Emma could only roll her eyes at how easily this town swayed to whatever was said. She shot Regina a look and rolled her eyes, both grateful just this once for mob mentality.

"So I really have an aunt?" Henry had snuck out of his room and followed his mothers shortly after they'd told him to stay in his room. Never one to miss out on the action, he didn't understand how stressed his mothers now were with the added task of keeping him safe yet again.

"You do, but Zelena has a lot of anger, and she probably isn't ready to make nice yet, so stay behind me and let us talk to her first." Regina knew she'd have to keep a close eye, if not a hand, on Henry to make sure he didn't dart off straight to this woman before they knew if she wanted a chance at redemption.

Emma and Regina started out down one end of Main Street hoping by the time they got to the other end that the woman would appear. It had taken Emma and her parents, her mother surprisingly very pregnant, to convince them to leave the pitchforks at home before going. Halfway down Main the air changed, grew thicker and full of static, causing everyone to freeze before a dark funnel cloud appeared in the sky above them.

"Here we go everybody!" Emma shouted, using one hand to shield her eyes from the whipping wind and debris. She glanced at Regina and saw the trepidation, the slight excitement, the concern, the same longing for a family she had. Because despite having Mary and David now, she didn't really feel a part of their family, and Henry was Regina's. She knew all too well what feeling alone and grasping at any straws for a family felt like. She had to try and save this potential villain for Regina.

The twister grew larger, spinning more rapidly until it touched down on the street in front of them, many backing away to avoid being whipped with dust and debris. Once the dark grey funnel cloud hit asphalt, it changed into a sickly green cloud of smoke, dense and noxious.

Regina tensed as a loud cackling laugh broke through the smoke. It was the first sound of her sister's voice she'd heard, and it was far more menacing than she expected. Immediately she pulled Henry close, stepping back as she watched Emma step forward, her father not far behind.

Zelena could see through the smoke a bit before these peasants could see her. She cackled with glee as her sister clutched the boy to her and backed away. "Hello, Sis. No fire or pitchforks? I'm sorely disappointed."

Once the smoke cleared, the townspeople gasped at the tall, willowy redhead before them. Pale skin and bright blue eyes, head full of wild curls all so strikingly opposite of Regina that none could connect them as sisters. Zelena was about to move towards her sister, ready to fight, when movement caught her eye.

"Enough! Zelena you don't want to hurt them." Emma stepped forward, more in line with Regina so the pair was behind her.

"Oh I don't? And what would you know of what I want…?" Zelena raised a brow, residual smoke still obscuring the more finite details of the challenger. The bright red pleather jacket and tight jeans the only clear things.

Emma lowered the hand shielding her eyes, the other still ready should she need to react quickly for whatever this woman dealt out. She wished she could roll her eyes at how cliché the all black dress and black hat was for a witch. Seems this world hadn't gotten everything wrong. "I am not so different than you. I know what it's like to want a family, always feeling alone and out of place, taking whatever scraps people who pretended to love me dealt out while being miserable and hoping something better was out there only to find family was right in front of me all alone, feeling angry and bitter about that. I know as much as you want Regina to suffer as much as you have that there's a large part of you hiding for fear of hurt and rejection yet again if she doesn't want to be family."

Zelena scoffed, ready to throw a green fireball at the woman, or send a monkey minion after her… at least that was until she could fully see the woman before her. Blonde princess curls, blazing green eyes… the outfit was hideous, but…. Whatever she was going to say flew right out of her head. "Are you an angel?"

"W-what?" Emma's eyes widened as her forehead crinkled in confusion.

"I think I've died and gone to heaven. You're the most gorgeous creature I have ever laid eyes on. I must have you." Zelena moved forward, ignoring the mob of peasants stepping away, all but the object of her desire. She circled the woman, inhaling the spicy scent of cinnamon and some softer notes of honey and wildflowers. "The sun must get its light from your hair."

"Um." Emma wasn't entirely sure what was happening right now. "Are you punking me? I know Regina wants a chance at a sister but-"

Zelena pulled a curl through her fingers, luxuriating in the soft silk. "Oh I can tell you are a powerful witch. The moment I laid eyes on you everyone else…," she spread her fingers wide on one hand, "poof, disappeared."

Snow squealed, delighted in recognizing True Love when she saw it. Turning to her husband, she beamed. "Oh they can have a fall wedding. The colors will go perfectly with such bright hair. Do you think one of them would wear a suit or two dresses?"

"Mom!" Emma couldn't believe her mother was already marrying her off to a perfect stranger. She sighed. No matter where these people were deposited, they'd always uphold medieval beliefs. Her attention returned to the witch as she felt smooth, long fingers glide across her cheek.

"Your eyes, the brightest glittering emerald, my favorite color. They're so magnificent, and your skin!" Zelena gasped in surprise. "So warm, even silkier than your hair, like the finest glass." She fully cupped the woman's face in her hands. "Oh you even fit perfectly, like we were made for each other. The way your eyes darken, I could just eat you up." She paused to lean in, inhaling the sweet scent on the blonde's breath. "So sweet. I wonder if your lips taste like cherries, or strawberries. You seem like a strawberry girl."

Emma jumped back as bright red lips leaned closer in attempts to kiss her. She could have kicked herself for startling the woman so, but honestly this felt like a giant prank she was the joke of. Looking at Regina for help, her suspicions only rose as she found the woman laughing in amusement.

"A dramatic declaration of true love befitting a princess." Regina doubled over laughing as Henry snickered. Both knew how the blonde hated being called princess.

Zelena delighted in the words that hit her ears. "I never doubted such a glorious creature would be a princess. I'd be honored if you'd be my queen."

Green eyes widened in shock. Sure this was Emma's every secret desire coming to life, someone fawning over her, feeling like she hung the moon, sun, and stars, but shit like this didn't just happen the instant you met someone, especially if you were just hellbent on destroying a town to get to your long lost sister. "Zelena-"

"I love the way you say my name! It has never sounded better, darling." Zelena tilted the pale chin up to stare into darkened emerald eyes again, delighting in the rosy blush coloring peachy skin. "What do they call you?"

"Emma, her name is Emma." Snow bounced in place, giddy as she waddled over to Regina. "They're so cute together! Looks like you're stuck with us as family."

Regina couldn't bring herself to mind, not if it meant getting to know her sister. Keeping Emma close didn't hurt either. She was loathe to admit Emma was her best friend, her first real friend, one that hadn't come with an agenda or hidden plan. Kathryn had been cursed, and Maleficent was a means to an end no matter the journey to get to the end. "I suppose this is agreeable, but your perpetual hope is still sickening."

"And your sarcasm still doesn't hide your true feelings." Snow watched as David studied the woman serenading their daughter. She felt her heart soar. Overprotective dad was David's best role yet.

Emma couldn't honestly believe all that was going on at present. It just added to the list of unbelievable shit she'd been through since bringing Henry home. Refocusing on the woman before her, she really looked at Zelena. The witch was a gorgeous contradiction, as wild and luxurious as her hair, edgy and sappy, sharp and soft, fiery and romantic. So the circumstances were out of place, but the woman was offering everything she'd secretly longed for. "I'm Emma Swan."

"The savior." Zelena wrapped an arm around the woman's waist, pulling her close. "I knew you were an angel. You can save me anytime, starting with agreeing to a marriage."

"Not before a first date." Emma rolled her eyes, offering Zelena a tentative smile, still unsure whether this woman was playing her, but this was a gamble she wanted to risk.

Zelena nodded. She'd heard of this so called dating of this world. It was different than the courting she was used to of making a connection and planning a marriage. "Alright then, after the first date you will agree to our marriage. It will be the most spectacular affair, we will have the grandest romance any realm has ever known."

Emma couldn't help but laugh, blushing at knowing all eyes were on her right now. "A first date, and I'm supposed to be the Charming one."


End file.
